Scratchbuilt Battlemech(s)

[Lt. Hazel]

Nice work Chris!!! Your hands are blessed :mrgreen:  Did you ever thought about running your own company? You know I would be the first one to buy an FT-17... ::

[Le matou rouge]

You know I would be the first one to buy an FT-17... ::

Second, probably...

I'm not at all a fan of robots & mech stuff, but the colors choice and the painting on the 2 lasts make them really stand out.
Congrats.

meow,
Matt

[majorsmith]

very nice! i have some heavy gear prepaints that i will repaint when i get back to the uk

[Sangennaru]

all those are fantastic!!! :love:


just... one thing: how can ou make those grooves on the hulls? cause if i try to make them, i break all everytime! ^^ (i am a noob mecha modeller too ^^)


thank you!
Jack

[Westfalia Chris]

just... one thing: how can ou make those grooves on the hulls? cause if i try to make them, i break all everytime! ^^ (i am a noob mecha modeller too ^^)

Hey Jack,

glad you like them. Making grooves is actually rather easy. You´ve got two options, either use a knife and a ruler to score them in, or, as I did with these mechs, cover the wood body with a thin layer of plasticard and then add the actual surface using single pieces, leaving small gaps between them.

[Super_Gibbon]

You are very skilled. Adroit. Adept. And some other synonyms!

[Sangennaru]

THank you, westfalia!

but... how could you put plasticard pieces on round surfaces? do u use heat? or what?

[Westfalia Chris]

THank you, westfalia!

but... how could you put plasticard pieces on round surfaces? do u use heat? or what?

In case of the Locust´s legs and the arm of the "Assassin", those are simply plastic tubes of various diameters just slipped into each other at various lengths.

On the larger round areas, like the hips, those are some steel washers glued together, with a strip of thin plasticard glued around it. I used Superglue to affix it at one end, let it dry, then wrapped it around the washers. Rather simple, actually. YOu could actually heat the plasticard in advance, but the thinner variety bends just well as is.

[Sangennaru]

no... i meant: for example in the last two photos you posted later, there are some surfaces with grooves on them... and those survace are pretty irregular... i mean, no circles, no tubes... that's directely on the hull! how did you do?

[Westfalia Chris]

no... i meant: for example in the last two photos you posted later, there are some surfaces with grooves on them... and those survace are pretty irregular... i mean, no circles, no tubes... that's directely on the hull! how did you do?

Ahhh, now I get the point! Sorry I didn´t clarify it, the last two are plastic kits manufactured by the Japanese Model Kit firm "Arii" way back in the 1980s. However, they pop up from time to time on model fairs et al, and whenever that happens, I try to get some unless they are ridiculously overpriced.

So the fine panel lines are none of my responsibility. It is, however, not that difficult, I imagine - you´d best build up the shape from modelling putty, sand it down and smooth, then use a hot needle or a modelling knife to score it. - or you sculpt the panel lines in while the putty has not yet set. Just takes some practice and a steady hand (or better, a steel straightedge to guide the tool).

[Sangennaru]

yes, maybe the straightedge is the best way! ^^
ok, now is all clearer!
i'm sorry for my english, but i'm an italian guy, so i have few chanches to write in english about stulpting & co. ^^

anyway... great job! ^^

Jack

[Westfalia Chris]

yes, maybe the straightedge is the best way! ^^
ok, now is all clearer!
i'm sorry for my english, but i'm an italian guy, so i have few chanches to write in english about stulpting & co. ^^

anyway... great job! ^^

Jack

Don´t worry, it was actually pretty clear about what technique was used, it was just a matter of that we did not talk about the same models! ::

I have used all the methods I described above at one time or the other - the most important thing is to correctly decide which technique to use at what time (or for which project). Generally, for large flat surfaces, I would recommend using plasticard and either scoring it using a knife, ruler and needle, or use single armour plates. The putty method takes far more time and is really best used for curves and bulges - those are terrible to construct out of plastic. Sanding them takes ages.

Another possibility would be using a soldering iron (called a saldataio in Italian if my dictionary does not fail me), but you need a very fine point and be able to set it to very low heat. Additionally, the potential for damaging the model is considerable.

Yet another option for curved surfaces would be using plastic beads from crafts stores - there are a great number of variant shapes and sizes, and they can be easily cut and engraved as well.

[Sangennaru]

LOL actually is saldatore, anyway!

well, i still use putty for my models, but i HATE the result using a cutter or a needle.... the problem is that i would like to have a straight line on a curve surface!

I mean, for fantasy models my techniques are pretty good, but if i need to build simetric shapes.... it's a disaster! XD

[BigMecha]

very nice!! 

::::have battletech miniatures:::::::::